The Raven, The Lamb, and The Wolf

Deities of Death, Fate, and the Afterlife

Matron of the Dead and Reapers of Death

When a mortal dies, their spirit is carted away to the afterlife by that of a representation of death, a spiritual manifestation of that mortal's afterlife. They are the watchers of each life taken from a gruesome killing to a peaceful passing, and while the perceptions of these representations change from culture to culture, three of these are found in every one. Separate, but never parted, the Lamb, the Wolf, and the Raven all watch over and are present for each death on the material plane. The purest essences of death, The Lamb's bow offers a sweet release from the material plane for those who accept their fate, while the Wolf hunts down those who run from their end, delivering violent finality for the cowards who run from its jaws, and the Raven's gaze follows and marks the end of each mortal life, watching over the border between life and death and ensuring the natural transition is undefiled. Houses of plague or those passing slowly in bed may keep a lamb mask or token outside of their house, hoping that they will silence them peacefully and without pain when the time comes. While in many societies that value battle above all else, such as Norsca, they may partake in a ritual where they "Kiss the Wolf", vowing to honor his chase for blood within the next slaughters to come. Finally, many funerals and tombstones are accompanied by a raven mask or shrine to protect the deceased from the terrible curse of undeath.
The kindred souls follow the threads of fate throughout the planes, only truly calling the ethereal forests in the Ethereal Plane their homes, while their godstones lay dormant and waiting in the Raven's Mire on Calgaerus. They are the white light of death, the gaze watching from behind it, and the darkened maw of gnashing teeth. They are the shepherd and the butcher, poet and piety, master and servants, they are one and they are all. They hunt those along the brink of death for eternity, and even if the Lamb grants those who look upon her a peaceful death while the Wolf leads the hunt on those who flee far away, the Lamb and Wolf will always be together, and the Raven will always be watching them.

Depiction

The Raven is one of the oldest goddesses known to Riven, said to have appeared at the first death of a mortal to take them to their afterlife. While death was something everyone must face at one point or another, it is a lonely concept. No one wants to face death, no one wants to come to understand it, and therefore the raven was alone evermore. As more mortals were brought forth death became more plentiful, but the raven couldn't be everywhere at once, so she shed her feathers and forged her reapers out of them, the first two being the Lamb and Wolf. While their forms manifest in different ways across different cultures, some appearances remain stagnant. The Lamb and the Wolf are always side by side, acting as counterbalances to each other. Sometimes they are more literal in their appearance, other times they resemble a more humanoid form, however, the masks they adorn over their faces remain a constant theme. The Raven is of similar myth too, although a majority of Riven's lands now refer to her as the Raven Queen as upon shedding her feathers she took on a permanent humanoid form. She often adorns a pale white mask, expressionless in nature, and wears a large crown-like headdress that outstretches to the side.

Enemies

The Raven, Lamb, and Wolf all hold resentment towards the god of undeath and secrets: Arkhan. His indomitable will over the undead remains as a permeant stain on Riven's soil with the two forces constantly locked in a battle over the fallen. The Lamb and the Wolf in addition to escorting most mortals to the afterlife, purposefully escort every undead creature directly to the Raven's throne after they have been slain. For those unwillingly turned, they have given the lambs blessing and are forever cleansed by her warmth. And for those evil souls who have turned themselves in turn for power or immortality, once they are slain it is said they are forever faced with infinite suffering at the wolf's hands, feeling every bite and hearing his gnashing teeth for all of eternity; this they consider to be a worthy second death.

Divine Domains

• Death
• Frost
• Grave
• War

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Mask of the Raven Queen

Carved Wolf and Lamb Masks

Tenets of Faith

• Death is the natural end of life. There is no pity for those who have fallen.
• The path of Fate is sacrosanct. Those who pridefully attempt to cast off their destiny must be punished.
• Undeath is an atrocity. Those who would pervert the transition of the soul must be brought down.

Holidays

The Raven, Lamb, and Wolf's holiday is the Hollow Night, landing on the 13th day of the tenth month. Here citizens light masks of the Raven, the Lamb, or the Wolf outside their homes in an effort to ward off the undead, leave a token for their family's on the other side, or to protect themselves from the cowards who would run from their fates.

Divine Classification

Goddess / Deities

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Raven:

• The Raven Queen
• Duskmaven

The Lamb and the Wolf:

• The Eternal Hunters
• The Takers

Related Myths

• Curator's Edda

Areas of Worship

• Death
• Reaping
• Finality
• Winter